All good things...

must come to an end...or so they say. So, I suppose it's true, summer is coming to an end. We've had many adventures I've been delinquent in documenting here, I apologize. So, for now, I'm moving forward to present day. And, what the present day brings is a new school year and a new 1st grader! Hannah started 1st grade yesterday and to be honest, we were both pretty excited about it! I feel like as a parent I should be sad that my child is leaving me for school all day and maybe I will feel that way some day soon. But, yesterday and today, I didn't. Frankly, I was thrilled for her! She is so excited about being a 1st grader and her enthusiasm is seriously contagious! I KNOW for a fact that I will miss her at times, but I also KNOW for a fact that she is in great hands and exactly where she should be.

I couldn't resist revisiting her old 1st day of school pics to see how she's changed and OH HOW SHE HAS CHANGED! What fun!

In other important news...I got a job! I am now a consultant with Thirty-One Gifts and if you've never heard of it, you have to check us out! These are products are so fun and cute! Visit my website and view a catalog and feel free to email me if you'd like to host a party...you get to earn a ton of free stuff! 

http://www.mythirtyone.com/SarahGiere/

So far its been a really fun new adventure! 

Summer in MI - Pt. 2

I'm so sorry that I haven't posted anything in so LONG! I can't believe it! The summer is just flying by! We were in MI for 2 whole weeks at the beginning on July and I took so many pictures I just don't know what to do! So, I'll post a few of my favs here to highlight our trip.

H & T on 4th of July - striking a pose :O)

Ellie NOT loving the fireworks!

Poor Sammy boy got bit by a mosquito near his eye and it puffed up like a balloon. This picture actually makes it look "good."

One day we headed to Sandy Pines and their super fun water park! 

Sammy and Aunt Stacey loved the water slide!

Ellie is a FISH!

Hannah and Taylor rode the water slide countless times!

The kids found a caterpillar on the beach one day and thought it was so fun!

Hannah and Taylor went to Camp Geneva for day-camp for a week and had a blast!

After a week of camp, the "cool" thing to do was polar bearing...waking up early, jumping out of bed and heading down to the beach for a quick dip. Despite the look on Luke's face, they thought it was great and thank goodness it was a warm morning!

One of the million pictures of sunsets I took...I was trying to capture the perfect one...

this one seems pretty close, right?! BEAUTIFUL!

Ellie's favorite place to nap and who would blame her!! What a lucky girl!

Sammy riding the waves...kind of. 

Daddy and his kiddos!

All in all, it was a great two weeks. We loved our time with our family and enjoyed hours and hours of beach time. Can't wait to get back there soon (this Tues. in fact!)!

Perfect Day for some Arboretum Fun

I took the kids to the Arboretum the other day and it was absolutely perfect! We had such a great time enjoying God's creation and the gorgeous weather! We also took advantage of the gorgeousness to attempt a little photo shoot. What fun!

Happy ending to a happy morning!

Summer in MI - Pt. 1

Last week we enjoyed a few days up in MI visiting with my family. And despite a few clouds and rain drops here and there, we had a great time!

Tuesday started with a visit to Great-Grammy and then later that afternoon, we just had to hit the beach! The kids weren't deterred ONE BIT by the FREEZING cold water! They loved it!

The girls modeling their new nightgowns!

On Wednesday we visited Stacey and the kids at the campground they were staying at near Holland State Park. One of my BFF's Lisa (Stacey's sister) and her boys came too...so fun! Again, it was a bit cool, but you would have never known! The kids played on the beach as if it was sunny and 80! It was so fun to share a great day with friends and family!

Before hitting the beach, we climbed a dune on these beautiful new stairs and there were a lot of them! Sammy and I were a bit behind the rest of the group, so we stopped for a quick photo op. ;O)






Here's the group at the top of the dune...with the view of Lake MI behind them. Beautiful! (the view, not the crazy kids!)


After the walk, we ate lunch (Sammy got picked up by Grandma to go home for a nap) and then we headed to the beach and little Ellie just tuckered out! If only I could take a nap on the beach every day! Hannah decided to try and warm up in the sand...it didn't work! She was cold!


LOVE Big Red! What a great symbol of the beautiful Holland beach!



Thursday was a fun-filled day! First up, strawberry picking! This was the first time the kids have gone and honestly, the first time I've gone since I was probably a child. The best part about it, they could have a yummy snack and it only took about 15 min. to pick 10lbs!


Sammy did manage to get bored with the berries and decided to pick something else instead!



Grandma and a few of her favorite things...the girls AND strawberries!



Later that day, another BFF Jane and her kids came out to spend a SUNNY afternoon on the beach! What a great day!


And, as if that wasn't enough for one day, that night we headed in to Holland for the street festival held every Thursday night all summer. Our #1 priority for the night was to get a balloon made from the "balloon man." Thank goodness the line wasn't too long!





Seeing the breathtaking sunsets over Lake Michigan will never get old!



One last picture before bed...good night MI, until next time...